Bensons Don't Fight, Pucketts Always Lose
by d i n o b o t
Summary: A small window into Sam and Freddie's thoughts. There's a thousand different reasons not to take the leap, not to give love a chance. There is, however, one reason to try, and maybe that reason is found within each other. Seddie. One-shot. iOMG stuff.


**Bensons Don't Fight, Pucketts Always Lose**

He can't quite explain how he feels. Articulating emotion, deeper ones at that, is not his strong suit. Maybe it's the reason why he feels more comfortable spending a day upgrading his high speed server or wasting time on his Pear Pad rather than talking about all that emotional stuff. He can, however, feel what his body is going through. He remembers his fingers freezing in mid type, and his lungs pleading for air, vacant far too long, as he sees her standing close to him. And as the very rumor of Sam and Brad together rolls around so aggressively in his mind, he can't for the life of him assemble the strength to burst out of the sideline and do something about it.

Just outside Ridgeway Hall's doors, he's finally alone with her, and as he stares into those lightly colored cerulean eyes, listening as she explains her mood and that God forsaken Pear Pad app he just had to invent, he can't help but feel her slip away with every word she says.

There's no getting around it, no matter how hard he tries. He's a Benson, inside and out, with the overprotective psychotic mother issues and the naturally gifted fencing skills to prove it. He's the only person in the group who knows the difference between DDR2 and DDR3 computer memory, and the only one who cares about the correct way to prepare a slice of pizza.

Benson's are a strange group, even he realizes. They're a tech savvy bunch, at the least the males are, with a ruthless attention to hygiene, second to no one. They're a dignified breed, analytical, meticulous, with no allowance for disorganization. A band defined by their intellectual accomplishments, yet still live sheltered, often pampered lives. The Mothers are usually to blame for that.

And yet, he can still hear his Mother's voice in the back of his mind: "Benson's don't fight."

Marissa Benson is an overbearing woman, with no sense of personal boundaries. Of all the stupid, needless amount of rules she enforces on the poor boy, why does this have to be the one that sticks? But he oddly finds himself following her words, whether he wants to or not. In his entire life he's never gotten into a fight - not a real one, anyway. Dubbed a nerd throughout school, he's never viewed as a 'tough guy,' by any means. Never once a blip on the school's 'rough' radar.

He doesn't fight his Mother's weekly tick inspections, the lunkhead bullies at school or Mr. Henne's pop quizzes. Even when he was forced to fight Gibby on iCarly, he brilliantly found a way to sidestep that beating. Not even Carly Shay, his first crush, did he fight for. Granted, he never actually "had" her. Most of their romantic relationship was relegated to pathetic one-sided pining and a lone day of reciprocation.

It's only in this moment, in the chilly Seattle air, does he realize the only person he's ever fought with is her.

There has to be an addendum to the rule because if Benson's don't fight, why does he always clash with her? Sam Puckett is the exception. They fight all the time, like clockwork, as assuredly as the sun does rise. He still remembers losing bets - the correct acronym of MPEG, challenging her to read the 'Penny Treasure' in a week, and the countless other arguments about her obnoxious, lazy, stubborn attitude.

But none of that matters now. When he found out about Sam's feelings, and Carly assuming its with their recently hired 'good looking' intern, a battle raged inside him, cutting deep within his gut. Should he fight or should he go? Should he fight for Sam or let her go? She's the same terror she's always been, despite her developing body, she's still the same blond headed demon he's known since the sixth grade.

For Sam, today is treating her far differently, yet the ending result is strangely the same. After a familiar silence claims the conversation, she listens to him speak. He tells her it's natural to be afraid and he knows how scary it is to put her feelings on the line. Freddie knows her well, even she admits, but no matter how many friends she has, one thing remains the same.

She's _alone_ in this world, a fact etched in her life since childhood. From her Father leaving before she can remember his face, a perfectly engineered twin sister who's a constant reminder of what she should be, to a Mother who spends more time in jail and rehab than by her side. Reliance and trust are never part of the equation, not since she's had to fend for herself for so long. Puckett's are losers, there's no other way to spin it. Instead of applying for college they apply for welfare, instead of working with charity groups they work for the mob, instead of getting good grades they get incarcerated. Every single Puckett alive, herself included, never goes through life a winner.

Sam is no stranger to disappointment, especially when it comes to romance. Boys find her harsh, abrasive, and down right scary. It makes sense. No other girl around can beat a guy twice their size in a wrestling match or can eat an entire Thanksgiving ham in fifteen minutes. There was Jonah, who ended up being a cheating pile of garbage. Reuben, an Eskimo who's bumble berry is still covered with ointment, whatever that means. Shane, who wanted nothing to do with her or Carly after his accident, and Pete who stopped calling her after that romantic night on his family's boat.

Carly says the tough girl persona is just a front, how she's just scared of getting hurt. No matter how hard she tries to deny it, she knows Carly's right. Because she's lost so many times before, on so many different occasions, it hurts to try again, and it hurts entertaining hope even as a possibility.

In the middle of her thoughts, she remembers something, and crazily enough it's Freddie who triggers it. He says 'you never know if the person you like it gonna like you back... but you never know what _might_ happen.'

There's only one person in the world who's ever made her feel like a winner: Him.

After all, she manages to win every game they play or argument they have. She still laughs thinking of their 'Penny Treasure' bet, and how squirting hot water down his pants was the highlight of her week. Not to mention having a tattoo of her face on his arm, or convincing him he had bad luck. Carefully and oh so slyly making his life a living hell always makes her feel good.

Her feelings, however, are an entirely different story. More important than a handful of impulsive wagers and a few acts of cruelty, far more secretive too. Sam's heart is a locked box, hardly opened, never shared, even from herself. Deep within this box, tinged in a mess of heartache, emptiness and fear lies Fredward Benson, a boy too dorky, handsome and unbelievably transcendent to keep hidden within the confines of prejudice forever.

As she looks into his dark chocolate eyes, and the haircut he's sported since forever ago, the same undeniable fear of losing the game they've played since sixth grade claps her lips shut, refusing a single word of contradiction. She's terrified of losing him, his attention, and their relationship they've worked so hard to build. Freddie's the only boy who tolerates her, corrects her, even befriends her. The only boy who sticks around, despite the constant name calling and sucker punches.

No matter how many times she pummels it in her mind, she's not quite ready to take that chance, and oddly enough she can almost tell he feels the same way, in a uncanny telepathic communicative type of way. But there's something else striking her conscience, an urge never nurtured nor developed. It's a feeling drawing her closer to him, and he to her. Just as their fingers touch - foreign, unfamiliar, yet warm - a lone, cautious smile break her lips apart, just long enough so she can breathe. Forget rules, forget boundaries and the shackles of teenage angst.

It may be a mistake, and it might not be the right time, but eighteen long years just won't budge for a nineteenth. Maybe Bensons can fight, maybe Pucketts can win, perhaps they're the exception to the rule. But it's only when they summon enough momentum, courage and zeal, can they break down the walls of childish inhibitions and see what happens next - all they have to do is try. And it just so happens, this time, the chance is just a few inches away.

**END**

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><p><strong>OK, am I the only one sick of the slew of hypothetical stories surrounding this episode? Nah... just kidding, I'm pretty flipping excited about it too. But instead of predicting the outcome, I thought I might write the build up, and the reasons why there's so much tension and hesitation on both their parts. I think iOMG will be huge, and it's hard NOT to get swept away with everything. However, I personally think Sam and Freddie won't become a full fledged couple by the end of this episode. There's still Season 4b or 5 (however you want to look at it) left to go. I do think we'll get solid evidence, some definite proof of their feelings. More than 'iThink They Kissed,' more than the ending scene from 'iSpeed Date,' even all of 'iKiss.'<strong>

**Sorry if there are some grammatical errors, I rushed a little so I could post it in time. Thanks in advance for reading. I appreciate it. See you on the other side. ;)**


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